Panicum plant named ‘Cape Breeze’

ABSTRACT

A new cultivar of Panicum virgatum, ‘Cape Breeze’, that is characterized by its foliage that is deep green in color in summer and turns green with purple-red tips in the fall with foliage coloration retained late in the growing season, its early blooming habit, its inflorescence that are golden tan in color, its compact plant habit, and its good resistance to  Puccinia emaculata  rust.

Botanical classification: Panicum virgatum.

Varietal denomination: ‘Cape Breeze’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Panicumvirgatum of hybrid origin and will be referred to hereafter by itscultivar name, ‘Cape Breeze’. ‘Cape Breeze’ represents a new cultivar ofswitchgrass, an ornamental grass grown for landscape use.

The Inventor discovered the new cultivar, ‘Cape Breeze’, as naturallyoccurring whole plant mutation in a garden in Oak Bluffs, Martha'sVineyard, Mass. in 2008. The parent plants are unknown and the Inventorbelieves that the new cultivar is most likely a hybrid of Panicumvirgatum and another unidentified species of Panicum.

Asexual propagation of the new cultivar was first accomplished bydivision by the Inventor in Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard, Mass. inApril 2012. Asexual propagation by division has determined that thecharacteristics of the new cultivar are stable and are reproduced trueto type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and represent thecharacteristics of the new cultivar. These attributes in combinationdistinguish ‘Cape Breeze’ as a unique cultivar of Panicum virgatum.

-   -   1. ‘Cape Breeze’ exhibits foliage that is deep green in color in        summer and turns green with purple-red tips in the fall with        foliage coloration retained late in the growing season.    -   2. ‘Cape Breeze’ is early blooming; blooming earlier than in        typical of plants of Panicum virgatum.    -   3. ‘Cape Breeze’ inflorescences that are golden tan in color.    -   4. ‘Cape Breeze’ has a compact plant habit; reaching about 24-30        inches in height and spread.    -   5. ‘Cape Breeze’ exhibits good resistance to rust.        ‘Cape Breeze’ can be most closely compared to cultivars,        ‘Warrior’ (not patented), and ‘Huron Solstice’ (U.S. Plant Pat.        No. 21,498). ‘Warrior’ differs from ‘Cape Breeze’ in having a        much taller plant habit, less resistance to rust, and darker        colored inflorescences. ‘Huron Solstice’ differs from ‘Cape        Breeze’ in having foliage that is lighter green in color with        the color not retained as late in the season, in having much        less rust resistance, in having a taller and less compact plant        habit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying photographs were taken in October and illustrate thecharacteristics of 2 year-old plants as grown outdoors in a trial gardenin Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard, Mass.

The photograph in FIG. 1 depicts the plant habit and foliage colorationof ‘Cape Breeze’ in fall.

The photograph in FIG. 2 provides a comparison between plants of Panicumvirgatum ‘Warrior’ (plant in the middle), Panicum virgatum ‘HuronSolstice’ (plant on left) and ‘Cape Breeze’ (plant on right), with thecolor retention of the foliage of ‘Cape Breeze’ in fall illustrated.

The colors in the photograph may differ slightly from the color valuescited in the detailed botanical description, which accurately describethe colors of the new Panicum virgatum.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of one-year-old plants of thenew cultivar as grown in two-gallon containers in Landenberg, Pa. Thephenotype of the new cultivar may vary with variations in environmental,climatic, and cultural conditions, as it has not been tested under allpossible environmental conditions. The color determination is inaccordance with The 2007 R.H.S. Colour Chart of The Royal HorticulturalSociety, London, England, except where general color terms of ordinarydictionary significance are used.

-   General description:    -   -   Blooming period.—Early blooming; from late spring to fall in            city, Martha's Vineyard, Mass.        -   Plant type.—Herbaceous perennial grass.        -   Plant habit.—Compact, upright mound.        -   Height and width or spread.—Reached about 24-30 inches in            height and spread.        -   Hardiness zone.—At least in U.S.D.A. Zones 5 to 8.        -   Diseases and pests.—Has shown good resistance to Puccinia            emaculata rust.        -   Root description.—Fibrous, deep rooted.        -   Propagation.—Culm division and tissue culture (preferred).        -   Growth rate.—Moderate.-   Culm (stem) description:    -   -   General.—Cylindrical, hollow pith, thin but strong, erect.        -   Culm number.—25 in a 2-gallon container, forming tight            clump.        -   Culm color.—137B in summer, 175C in fall, 161D and 158A in            winter, ranges from 2 to 10 cm of exposed area between leaf            nodes.        -   Culm size.—Average of 2 mm in diameter, averaging 36 cm in            height from the base to the tip of the flower panicle.        -   Culm surface.—Glabrous.        -   Internode length.—An average of 7 cm.-   Foliage description:    -   -   Leaf shape.—Narrowly lanceolate.        -   Leaf division.—Simple.        -   Leaf margin.—Entire, slightly scabrous.        -   Leaf base.—Sheathed to base of the node.        -   Leaf venation.—Parallel, not distinguishable in color from            leaf.        -   Leaf width.—Average of 1.2 cm at widest section.        -   Leaf length.—Blade; an average of 232 cm, sheathed portion;            an average of 7 cm.        -   Leaves per culm.—Average of 4.        -   Leaf surface.—Glabrous and dull on both surfaces.        -   Ligule.—1.5 mm in width, hairy on inner surface, 144D in            color.        -   Leaf color (both surfaces).—Summer; N137A, fall; N137A with            187A to 187B tips with the coloration retained into late            fall, winter; 161D.-   Flower description:    -   -   Inflorescence type.—Airy panicle at terminus of stem,            symmetrical, typically 2-flowered spikelet with lower flower            male and upper flower hermaphrodite, overall color of the            raceme is 145B in early summer and maturing to 161D in late            fall.        -   Inflorescence size.—Average of 23 cm in length and 6 cm in            width.        -   Spikelet description.—Average of 180 per panicle, awnless,            lower glume 1.5 mm in length and 1.5 mm in width, upper            glume and lower lemma extending about 2.5 cm in length and            width, glumes and lower lemma are convex with both surfaces            glabrous surface and 144D in color with thin stripes of            137B, upper lemma is translucent, an average of 1.5 mm in            length and width, and 144D in color.        -   Spikelet size.—About 3 mm in length and 2 mm in width.        -   Rachis.—An average of 30 from last leaf, raceme portion an            average of 20 cm in length, 2 mm at base and 0.2 mm at apex            in width, glabrous surface, 137B in color, lateral branches            (peduncle-like); an average of 15, 0.2 mm in width and an            average of 5.5 cm in length (shortest at terminus), 137B in            color, glabrous surface, on spikelet (pedicel like); an            average of 5 mm in length, wiry, 137B in color, glabrous            surface.-   Reproductive organs:    -   -   Androecium.—Anthers; 3, 1 mm in length and 0.5 mm in width,            165A in color, basifixed on very fine filament, Pollen;            moderate in quantity, 164B in color.        -   Gynoecium.—Pistil; 1, 2 plumose stigmas on short, file            styles, stigma color is 75A, 1.5 mm in length and 1 mm in            width, ovary; 1-locular, superior, 1 mm in length, 144D in            color.        -   Caryopsis.—2 to 3 mm in length and about 1.5 in width, 165C            in color.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Panicum virgatum plantnamed ‘Cape Breeze’ as herein illustrated and described.